Rescued from Ukraine Lioness Receives Essential Dental Operation

A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion saved from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received critical oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," said the dentist.

He thought the infection was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, causing bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

The expert clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.